Attachment for retaining the mouth of a flexible container in an extended position



Oct. 31, 1950 D L. LAWRENCE 2,527,746

ATTACHMENT FOR RETAINING THE MOUTH OF A FLEXIBLE CONTAINER IN AN EXTENDED POSITION Filed June 27, 1947 Inventor Attorney:

Patented Oct. 31, 1950 ATTACHMENT FGR RETAINING THE MOUTH OF A FLEXIBLE CONTAINER IN AN EX- TENDED POSITION Durward L. Lawrence, Steele, Mm, assignor of one-half to Sam Hamra, Steele, M0.

Application June 27, 1947, Serial No. 757,436

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an attachment for flexible containers, such as sacks or bags and has particular reference to an attachment for use with cotton pickers sacks and which will effectively function for holding the open top or mouth of the bag or sack in an extended, open position or which can be utilized for closing the sack or container mouth.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide an attachment of extremely simple construction capable of being readily applied to or removed from the open top or mouth of a sack or bag and which is adapted to be supported therein by engagement therewith.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an attachment which, when utilized with a cotton pickers sack, will be disposed completely out of engagement with the body of the cotton picker, when the sack is being. worn in a conventional manner, so as not to produce an obstruction which will afford discomfort to the cotton picker.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the open end of a cotton pickers sack and showing the attachment applied thereto and in a position for holding the mouth of the sack in an open position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view, showing the attachment applied to the upper portion of a cotton pickers sack and in the position that it will assume for closing the mouth of the sack, and

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the is secured the ends of a strap 9 which is adapted to fit over the shoulder of a cotton picker in a conventional manner and with the apron 8 bearing against a portion of the body, so that the sack or bag 6 can be dragged through a field by the picker while engaged in picking cotton and 2 placing the cotton in the sack. The cotton sacks or bags 6 are usually of considerable length, so that a substantial portion thereof drags along the ground behind the cotton picker, but said lower portion is not illustrated, since the attachment 5, constituting the invention, affects only the open, upper end of the bag or sack. 1

The attachment 5, as best illustrated in-Figure l, includes a pair of substantially rigid, L- shaped members designated generally it and ll,

each of which is provided on its outer side with a plurality of prongs I2, one or more of which projects from each leg of each of said L-shaped members ill and H. The L-shaped members l0 and ii are adapted to be disposed in the open mouth of the bag 6 in spaced relationship relatively to one another and in the corners formed by the juncture of the ends of the apron 8, withthe remainder of the bag or sack 6,-as clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and said L-sh'aped members it and H are secured within the open mouth of the sack and at the ends of the apron & by the prongs 52 extending through the fabric of the sack and said prongs 12 may be bent over as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2-, for de: tachably fastening the L-shaped members Ill and H in the positions of Figures 1 and'Zf With the L-shaped member is thus disposed, the leg 63 thereof which projects away from the apron 8 is provided with a hook M which is" anchored thereto and which extends inwardly therefrom. The other leg E5 of the L-shaped member H is provided with an elongated opening it which extends to the bight of the member H which joins with a slot H in the leg IB of said member H which is formed by the tongue l9 which extends inwardly from the leg 1'8 and adjacent the leg l5.

The L -shaped members iii and H may be formed of any suitable, substantially rigid material, preferably metal. The attachment 5 also includes an elongated bar forming a ball 20 andwhich is formed from a resilient material, such as metal. Th bail 2B is relatively wide and is provided with a relatively large transverse disposed opening 25 adjacent one end thereof which is of sufficient size to loosely and detachably engage the hook it for positioning the opening 2| in engagement with the shank portion of said hook and against the inner side of the leg 13, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. For attaching the bail 2% to the L-shaped members IE1 and H, the bail opening 25 is first engaged with the hook M, as previously described after which said ball is sprung from its substantially straight, normal position, to its bowed or arcuate position, as seen in Figures 1, 2 and 4, and is positioned within the open mouth I of the sack 6 and so as to extend in a direction away from the apron 8. Adjacent its opposite end, the bail 29 is provided with a struck-out tongue 22. Said last mentioned end of the bail 29 is adapted to be sprung until its terminal portion extends through the opening [6 of the leg of the L-shaped member I I and through an opening, not shown, in apron 8. When thus disposed, the resiliency of the bail 29 will retain the tongue 22 in engagement with tongue l 9 so that said parts will form interengaging limiting stops to limit the extent that the bail end 23 extends through opening 16 and the apron 8.

The bail 20 is provided on its outer side and intermediate of its ends with a plurality of prongs 24, which are adapted to penetrate the material of the sack 6 adjacent the open mouth l and remote from the apron 8 for thereby attaching the intermediate portion of the bail detachably to said portion of the sack 6, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent.

The width of opening 16 is only slightly greater than the Width of the bail 29 for maintaining said bail in substantially the same plane as the L.-'shaped members H3 and II when the bail is held extended as seen in Figures 1 and 2, to prevent swinging movement of the bail and for holding the mouth? of the sack in a fully opened position.

' To utilize the attachment 5 for closing the mouth I of the sack, the terminal 23 is manually engaged and pressed inwardly for disengaging the tongues I9 and 22 so that the tongue 22 and adjacent portion of the bail 29 can slide outwardly through opening 16 and through the apron B to assume the position of Figure 3, and as the outer portion of the mouth of the sack is connected to the intermediate portion of the bail 29 by the prongs 24, said outer portion will also be carried inwardly and to a position substantially against the opposite side or apron of the sack, so that the attachment 5 will function, in its position of Figure 3, as a closure for the sack mouth. In accomplishing this movement, the bail opening 2l pivots and slides on hook M.

With the bail 29 in its position of Figure 3, the prongs 24 can be disengaged from the sack 6, the bail 20 disconnected from the hook Hi and removed from the opening 16, after which said L-shaped members can be removed from the sack 6, after straightening the prongs l2.

Obviously, the attachment 5 is adapted for use with other types of sacks, bags or flexible containers employed for other purposes and may be utilized in the same manner'as previously described for holding sacks or bags with their mouths in either an open or closed position, including sacks or bags which are hung in vertical position, as depositories for various articles or items.

Various modifications and changes in the constructions of the invention, as illustrated and described, are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An attachment for flexible containers, comprising a, pair of supporting members adapted to be detachably secured in the open end or mouth of a flexible container and in spaced relationship to one another, and a resilient bail detachably connected adjacent to its ends to said supporting members and held thereby under tension, said bail being adapted to be disposed within a portion of the open end or mouth of the container for retaining said portion in an extended, open position, said bail being pivotally connected to one of said supporting members and slidably connected to the other supporting member.

2. An attachment for flexible containers, coinprising a pair of supporting members adapted to be detachably secured in the open end or mouth of a flexible container and in spaced relationship to one another, a resilient bail detachably connected adjacent to its ends to said supporting members 7 and held thereby under tension for yieldably retaining the supporting members in spaced relationship, said bail being adapted to be disposed within a portion of the open end or mouth of the container for retaining said portion in an extended, open position, said bail being pivotally connected to one of said supporting members, means for slidably connecting the bail to the other supporting member, and coacting stop means on the bail and last mentioned supporting member cooperating with said slidable means for retaining the bail in bowed condition, with its ends in substantially the same plane as the supporting members for holding the mouth of said flexible container in an open position or to permit that end of the bail to be released from its stop means to slide relatively to the last mentioned supporting member so that its tendency to assume a straightened condition will function to close the open top or mouth of said container.

DURWARD L. LAWRENCE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 325,287 Utley Sept. 1, 1885 963,815 Schuller July 12, 1910 1,475,132 Monaghan Nov. 20, 1923 1,712,109 Hammer May 7, 1929 2,158,955 Blacher May 16, 1939 2,158,999 Allen May 23, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 17,798 Great Britain of 1912 440,092 Germany Jan. 28, 1927 

